Ahead of the U.S. Conference of Mayors 85th Winter Meeting in Washington, DC next week, former Democratic mayors of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Trenton, New Jersey; and Atlanta, Georgia announced their endorsements of Tom Perez to serve as the next chair of the Democratic National Committee. Mayors Michael Nutter, Doug Palmer, and Shirley Franklin cited Tom’s lifelong commitment to lifting up working families, his proven track record of standing up for progressive values, and his experience turning around complex organizations to make real change happen at the local, state, and national levels.

“It’s an honor to have the support of proven leaders who have gotten real results for their communities across the country," said Tom Perez. "They know what it takes to bring progressive change at the local level and their support is indicative of exactly the type of Democratic Party we intend to build – one that engages the grassroots constituencies and local leaders to fight for a more progressive future every single day of the year.”

This announcement comes on the heels of endorsements from five Democratic governors from across the country and endorsements from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the United Farm Workers and the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Statement from Michael A. Nutter, former Mayor of Philadelphia, former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Pennsylvania DNC member:

"The results of November’s election certainly reminded everyone in this city of just how important grassroots organizing on the ground is to our success as a party. There is no better organizer than Tom Perez. He’s served on the local level as a member of the Montgomery County Council and he personally oversaw the growth of CASA de Maryland into one of the country’s largest immigrant advocacy organizations. Tom’s proven record and ability to unite progressives from across our coalition is exactly what the Democratic Party needs right now to build our bench, strengthen our local parties, and ensure that Democrats have the resources needed to succeed at every level."

Statement from Douglas H. Palmer former Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey and former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors:

"It’s time for our party to get back to listening and being engaged at the local level, and as someone who served as mayor for more than two decades, I understand that the importance of local organizing. Tom has served on the local level with a proven record of organizing broad coalitions and that is what our party needs to rebuild and win for the American people. In 2017, New Jersey will be one of two states that will have gubernatorial elections, and we need a well-funded and organized Democratic party at both the local and national levels to win. Tom Perez has what it takes to organize and rebuild the Democratic Party to help us win in New Jersey and to fight back against Donald Trump’s disastrous agenda for working families in communities across the country."

Statement from Shirley C. Franklin, former Mayor of Atlanta and co-chair of the 2016 Democratic National Committee Platform Committee:

"Tom has spent his entire career fighting to create the beloved community that Dr. King so eloquently prescribed more than 50 years ago. Tom's record has been to fight for the least of these - he's taken on banks for discriminatory lending practices, challenged discriminatory voting laws, and worked with President Obama to increase wages for thousands of federal contract employees and home healthcare workers. This work has been the story of Tom's life. If we elect him as chair of the Democratic National Committee, he will continue to work across all sectors to improve the lives of Americans. I look forward to working with Tom Perez and our party leadership to turn Georgia blue."